New Publication Examines the Effects of Private Military and Security Companies

12 March 2025

Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) have long operated on the edges of conflict, providing everything from combat support to site protection and logistical services. However, a small subset — which this research calls the '1%' — has evolved into something more complex on the border of private enterprise, state-backed militias, and mercenaries.

Our latest research brief, The 1%: Doing Business With Proxy Military Companies, authored by Associate Researcher Robin van der Lugt, examines how these entities — termed 'proxy military companies' — have reshaped warfare, international law, and global stability. Unlike conventional PMSCs, these groups are not independent security contractors operating in competitive markets. Instead, they function as extensions of state power, conducting combat operations, hybrid warfare, and resource exploitation on behalf of authoritarian regimes.

The report highlights key actors in this space, including Russia’s now-rebranded Wagner Group, Türkiye’s SADAT, and UAE-backed combat surrogates. These entities operate with near-total impunity, exploiting legal loopholes and plausible deniability to evade accountability. The report asserts that their emergence represents more than just an evolution of private military forces; it signals a return to Cold War-style proxy warfare, where states outsource violence while avoiding direct responsibility. 

One risk, explains Erica Harper, Head of Research and Policy Studies at the Geneva Academy, is a lowering of the entry barriers to conflict. 'Part of the attractiveness of PMCs is that they can break rules that States can’t or shouldn’t. A rule free zone that is beyond the reach of international accountability interrupts the system’s ability to uphold peace and security. Left too long, this may spill over into a new normal around inter-State conduct at a time when the system lacks the robustness to self correct.'

Robin van der Lugt explains, 'Existing regulatory frameworks, such as the Montreux Document and the International Code of Conduct (ICoC), were designed to bring oversight to PMSCs operating in commercial markets. However, these guidelines fail to address state-sponsored entities whose actions are driven by geopolitical strategy rather than market forces. The result is a system ill-equipped to regulate modern PMSCs that act as covert arms of state policy rather than independent contractors.'

The paper argues for a critical reclassification of these entities, explaining that terms such as 'private military company' fail to capture their true nature, obscuring their direct ties to state interests. Instead, recognizing them as proxy military companies or contractual proxies more accurately reflects their role in contemporary conflicts and underscores the urgent need for new accountability mechanisms.

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

neurodata graphics News

New Research Brief Evaluates the Effectiveness of GDPR in Mitigating Risks Associated with the Distinctive Nature of Neurodata

21 January 2025

Our recent research brief, Neurodata: Navigating GDPR and AI Act Compliance in the Context of Neurotechnology, examines how effectively GDPR addresses the unique risks posed by neurodata.

Read more

Human Rights Tiles News

From Signals to Action: Strengthening the UN's Conflict Prevention Efforts

31 March 2025

Our recent research brief series explores how the United Nations' human rights system can enhance its role in early warning and conflict prevention.

Read more

Warzone Event

Advanced IHL Seminar for Academics and Policymakers

25-29 August 2025, 09:00-17:30

Co-hosted with the ICRC, this event aims to enhance the capacity of academics to teach and research international humanitarian law, while also equipping policymakers with an in-depth understanding of ongoing legal debates.

Read more

Afghanistan, Parwan detention facility. Inside a room where detainees of the prison, separated by an acrylic glass, are allowed to meet with their families a couple of times per year with the help of the ICRC employees who facilitate the programme. Short Course

Preventing and Combating Terrorism

24 April - 13 May 2025

This online short course discusses the extent to which states may limit and/or derogate from their international human rights obligations in order to prevent and counter-terrorism and thus protect persons under their jurisdiction.

Read more

Panel Discussion: Project

Treaty Body Members’ Platform

Started in January 2014

The Treaty Body Members’ Platform connects experts in UN treaty bodies with each other as well as with Geneva-based practitioners, academics and diplomats to share expertise, exchange views on topical questions and develop synergies.

Read more

Iraq, Mosul. View of the west bank after the war. Project

IHL in Focus

Started in January 2024

As a yearly publication, it keeps decision-makers, practitioners and scholars up-to-date with the latest trends and challenges in IHL implementation in over 100 armed conflicts worldwide – both international and non-international.

Read more

Cover page of the working paper Publication

AI Decoded: Key Concepts and Applications of Artificial Intelligence for Human Rights and SDG Monitoring

published on January 2025

Milica Mirkovic, Jennifer Victoria Scurrell

Read more

Cover Page of Research Brief Publication

War on Minorities’ Under the Guise of Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism

published on December 2024

Beatrice Meretti

Read more